Hi!

My name is Jaclyn and I am going to tell you a bit about myself first. At 37 years of age, I have been married to my most wonderful husband, Gary for eight years. We have two delightful daughters, Ava, who’s six years old and Jessica, who is three.

Now that you know a little something about me, let’s get started with the story of Elfriends™ and how it all began.

The idea was born when I was on a maternity and had spare time to look over the available options in the market. It all happened very randomly one day. I had been working in banking for almost sixteen years, and when I took time off, it dawned upon me that I could look into starting up my very own venture. During December 2012, I came across a product that itself was highly appealing but the concept didn’t work for me or my family.

I searched extensively to find similar products with more striking concepts but failed to come up with anything. This is where I realised that the UK market was lacking in some places and this gap could be filled by me.

Christmas has always been a very special time for me and I have great memories of this festive occasion since I was a little girl. The lights twinkling everywhere, along with the spirit and warmth, which is almost contagious, reminds me of my childhood and those wonderful days.

I am also quite a romantic and love reading novels by Paige Toon (do check them out if you are looking for a light read). As I went through my Kindle after finishing up on her book, I came across Duncan Bannatyne’s ‘Anyone can do it’. It was a complete page turner and definitely provided me with the inspiration to build on my business idea.

When I finally decided to go ahead with the startup, like everyone else, my path was also not easy. There were challenges and obstacles that had to be overcome, some of which I am still working on, since I am new to this with no prior knowledge of business. However, I am a fast learner and with the help of books and internet, I have come a long way.

After two years of hardwork, Elfriends™ was finally good to go in 2014. Our magical Christmas Elves were created and have been spreading cheer ever since.

The overall concept of this venture is quite different. The Elves can be taken on trips and even come with outfit changes. We like to see them check in every once in a while, with Snow Angel and Snow Buddy popping in on special occasions to spread some more happiness around. They won’t be there for very long though!

I always get asked by people about what’s coming next. Well, to answer all those queries, let me just say that as of now I am focusing on Christmas Elves. My aim is to cater to my customers in the best way possible and I just want to keep on doing that. While, there is definitely a list of other products that I would like to introduce later on, but that still has some time to go.

Lastly, I would like to sign off by saying that all those people who inspired and motivated me, I couldn’t thank them enough. They helped me in establishing Elfriends™ and supported me through the journey. Without these lovely people, my dream would never have become a reality. I would also like to mention Duncan for writing such an amazing book that inspired me to succeed and gave me the confidence to do it.

I really do hope you all enjoy Elfriends™ as much as I have putting it out there for everyone.

Jaclyn

Related:

http://www.paigetoon.com/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anyone-Can-Do-My-Story